The Bear in the Attic by Syeda Izma Mashkoor

The Bear in the Attic

On her ninth birthday, Laurie found herself climbing into her grandmother’s dusty attic. She hadn’t planned on exploring it; in fact, she rarely thought about the old, creaky space. But when Nana handed her a rusty key after dinner and whispered, “Your birthday surprise is up there,” Laurie’s curiosity got the better of her.

With her father close behind, she climbed the rickety ladder leading to the attic hatch. Warm, musty air greeted her as she peeked inside, the faint smell of mothballs and old wood making her wrinkle her nose. The attic was crowded with piles of boxes, old furniture, and a leaning wardrobe that looked like it might fall apart at any second.

“What am I looking for?” Laurie called over her shoulder.

Her father smiled. “It’s in a small chest with a red lid. Nana said it’s something she used to love when she was your age.”

Laurie scanned the clutter until her eyes landed on the chest. It sat nestled between an old trunk and a teetering stack of hatboxes, its paint faded but still distinctly red. She shuffled over, her sneakers kicking up puffs of dust.

The lid creaked as she opened it, revealing a single item inside: a teddy bear.

At first glance, the bear seemed ordinary. Its brown fur was worn in places, its button eyes slightly crooked, and a faded blue bowtie hung limply around its neck. It wasn’t particularly soft, nor was it large or fluffy like the bears Laurie had seen in toy shops. But there was something about its face—its expression—that caught her attention.

It looked… alive.

“Isn’t it charming?” her father said, peering over her shoulder.

“I guess,” Laurie replied, hesitant. She reached out to touch the bear, and as her fingers brushed its fur, she thought she felt it shiver.

She jerked her hand back. “Did you see that?”

“See what?”

“The bear… it moved.”

Her father chuckled. “It’s just your imagination, kiddo. That thing’s probably been sitting here for decades. Go on, Nana will be thrilled to see you with it.”

Laurie frowned but picked up the bear, cradling it in her arms. Its fur was rough against her skin, and as she descended the ladder, she couldn’t shake the feeling that its button eyes were watching her every move.

That night, Laurie placed the bear on a shelf near her bed. She wasn’t sure she wanted to keep it, but she didn’t want to hurt Nana’s feelings either.

As she lay under her quilt, staring at the bear’s silhouette in the moonlight, she whispered, “Are you alive?”

Of course, the bear didn’t respond. Laurie felt silly for even asking.

She turned over and closed her eyes, but sleep didn’t come easily. A faint rustling sound reached her ears, like fabric brushing against wood. She sat up and squinted at the shelf.

The bear was gone.

Her stomach dropped. Heart racing, she flicked on her bedside lamp, the warm light chasing away the shadows. The bear wasn’t on the shelf, nor was it on the floor.

And then she saw it. Sitting at the foot of her bed.

“How did you get there?” she whispered.

The bear didn’t move, but it felt as though its head had tilted slightly, its button eyes gleaming under the lamplight.

Laurie’s hands trembled as she reached for the bear. “You’re just a stupid old toy,” she muttered, lifting it and tossing it across the room. It landed with a soft thud.

Satisfied, Laurie turned off the light and buried herself under her quilt. But as the room grew silent again, she heard it—a faint scraping sound, like tiny footsteps on the wooden floor.

She peeked out from under the quilt. The bear was standing upright in the middle of the room, its head tilted at an unnatural angle.

“Laurieeee…”

The whisper was faint but unmistakable. Laurie’s heart pounded so hard she thought it might burst. She scrambled out of bed and bolted for the hallway, her bare feet slapping against the floor.

“Nana!” she screamed, racing down the stairs.

By the time Laurie reached the living room, her grandmother and father were already on their feet.

“What’s wrong, sweetheart?” Nana asked, concern etched across her face.

“The bear!” Laurie gasped. “It—it moved! It whispered my name!”

Nana’s face paled. “The bear… whispered?”

Laurie nodded frantically.

Her father groaned. “It’s late, Laurie. You probably had a bad dream.”

“No! I wasn’t dreaming!”

But Nana’s expression was different. She looked worried—frightened, even. She took Laurie’s hands in hers and led her to the sofa.

“Laurie, listen to me. That bear… it used to belong to my sister, Clara.”

“I didn’t know you had a sister,” Laurie said, confused.

“I did,” Nana said softly. “Clara died when we were children. She was only your age.”

Laurie’s eyes widened. “What happened?”

“She got very sick,” Nana explained, her voice trembling. “Before she passed, she gave me that bear and made me promise to keep it safe. She said it held a piece of her spirit, that she didn’t want to leave me completely.”

Laurie felt a chill creep down her spine. “You mean… the bear is haunted?”

Nana hesitated, then nodded. “I didn’t believe her at first. But strange things started happening after she died. The bear would move on its own, just like you said. It would whisper, sometimes calling my name. Eventually, I couldn’t take it anymore and locked it away in the attic.”

“Why did you give it to me?” Laurie asked, her voice shaking.

“I thought… I thought it had stopped,” Nana admitted. “It’s been silent for years. I thought Clara’s spirit had finally found peace.”

Laurie shivered. “What do we do now?”

Nana stood, a determined look on her face. “We’ll return it to the attic where it belongs. Clara wouldn’t hurt you, Laurie, but it’s clear the bear isn’t meant to be disturbed.”

Together, they climbed back up to the attic. The bear sat exactly where Laurie had left it in her room as if it had been waiting for them. Nana carefully placed it back in the red chest, closing the lid with a soft click.

“Rest now, Clara,” Nana whispered, a tear slipping down her cheek.

Laurie helped her lock the chest, and as they descended the ladder, she felt a strange sense of relief. The bear was still creepy, but she didn’t feel afraid anymore.

That night, Laurie slept peacefully for the first time in days, and the bear remained silent in its attic tomb.

But sometimes, when the house was especially quiet, Laurie thought she could hear faint footsteps overhead… and a whisper that sounded like her name.

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